Gearing.



No. 743,133. PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

M. E. & 0. H. BACON.

HEARING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES: 2Q? jZNIL/ENTOBS 1 3 Z .Bczcan CWJ? C C 7 (zaz g'sjffiacam No. 743,133. Patented November 3, 1903.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARK E. BACON AND CHARLESH. BACON, OF FLUSl-IING, MICHIGAN.

G EA R l N G SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 743,133, dated November .3, 1903.

Application filed May 13, 1903. Serial No. 156,904. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: the drive-shaft c. This sleeve b is mounted Be it known that we, MARK E. BACON and to turn, but not to slide, in a nut d, which co- CHARLES H. BACON, citizens of the United acts with the screw e in a manner which will 55 States, both residents of Flushing, in the be hereinafter fully set forth. The front end 5 county of Genesee and State of Michigan, of the shaft is free from support, excepting have invented a new and Improved Gearing, such as may be provided by the nut 01, while of which the following is a full, clear, and ex-. the rear end of the shaft is arranged in a box act description. 0, pivoted by a pin 0 in a hollow portion n 60 This invention relates toagearing adapted of the bicycle-frame. The rear end of the IO especially for the driving of bicycles and by drive-shaft c carries a bevel-gear 0 which is means of which the ratio of the gearing may adapted to be meshed with a corresponding be quickly and easily changed by the rider gear on the drive-wheel, all of which will be without leaving the saddle, thus enabling the understood from the prior art. Now it is 65 gear to be changed at will to suit the condi clear that by shifting the gear I) along the I 5 tions of the road over which the bicycle is be shaft 0 it may be made to engage any one of in g driven. the gear-faces a, and since these faces are The device comprises in its general form a of gradually-increasing diameter the ratio of screw having means for operating it extend the driving-gearing may be changed at will. 70 ing from proximity to the seat of the rider, The screw e at its rear end has an eccentric this screw having a nut thereon and said nut journal e, suitably mounted in a part of the being in connection with a gear splined on framing. At its front end said screwis fasthe' drive-shaft and coacting with a series tened eccentrically to a gear f, itself suitably of varying gear-faces formed on the drivingmounted at the rear side of or adjacent tothe 75 disk, which in turn is in connection with the crank-hanger. Therefore upon the rotation crank-shaft. The said screw is eccentrically of the screw the nut d is not only given a mounted, and the said drive-shaft is allowed movement longitudinally of the screw, but it a slight lateral movement, so that upon each is also given (owing to the eccentric mountrotation of the screw to shift the gear which ing of the screw) a lateral movement, which 80 is in connection therewith said gear is caused moves the gear 19 toward and from the face to move sidewise sufficiently to jump it from of the gear-disk a, and thus as the gear is engagement with one gear-face into engageshifted from one face to the other it is simulment with'another. taneously moved away from and then toward 'This specification is an exact description of the gear-disk a, thus allowing the gear I) to 8 5 one example ofourinvention, whilethe claims jump from one face a to the other. 3 5 define the actual scope thereof. For operating the screw 6 at will we provide Reference is to be had to the accompanying a gear g, which is meshed with the gear f and drawings, forming a part of this specification, fastened to a shaft h, SillllfliDlS glllOlllltGd in the in which similar characters of reference indiframe and extending forwardly, as shown in 0 cate corresponding parts in all the views. Fig. 1. The shaft h is in connection with a 0 Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invensecond shaft 11 by means of the bevel-gears, as tion, showing it applied to a bicycle-frame. shown, the second shaft extending upward Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section. Figs. through a suitable bearing k in the top of the 3 and 4 are detail sections of the finger-wheel frame and being provided above said bearing 95 for operating the screw, and Fig. 5 is a secwith a finger-wheel Z, with which the shaft is tional view of the support for the rear end of connected to turn with the turning of the finthe drive-shaft. ger-wheel, but to allow the finger-wheel a cer- The disk at is" fastened to the crank-shaft tain axial movement on the shaft. The bearand has its inner face formed with a number ing it has studs 70 on its upper face, and these [00 of concentric crown-gear surfaces a. With are adapted to be engaged with correspondthese gear-surfaces is adapted to mesh the ing cavities in the finger-wheel Z.

pinion b, which is fastened to a sleeve b and m indicates a spring which acts to hold the fitted to slide on the square front portion of finger-wheel l in engagement with the bear ing is; but upon drawing upward the fingerwheel it may be made to disengage the bearing, and then the shaft 2' may be turned at will. By means of this arrangement the rider sitting on the saddle of the machine may operate the screw e whenever desired and shift the gear b without dismounting.

The frame of the bicycle should of course be slightly modified to suit the several elements involved in our invention. The drawings show one form of frame for this purpose; but we desire it understood that we are not limited to the construction there shown.

Various other changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of our invention may be resorted to at will without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Hence We consider ourselves entitled to all such variations as may lie within the intent of our claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of a driving-gear having a plurality of varying gear-faces thereon, a driven shaft, a shiftable gear having connection with the driven shaft and coacting with the driving-gear, and means for shifting the shiftable gear, said means for shifting the gear comprising a nut in connection therewith, and a screw with which the nut coacts.

2. The combination of a gear having a plurality of varying gear-faces thereon, a gear coacting with the first-named gear, one of said gears being shiftable, a nut in connection with the shiftable gear, and a screw 00- acting with the nut.

3'. The combination of a driving-gear having a plurality of varying gear-faces thereon, a driven shaft mounted to move laterally, a gear in connection with the driven shaft and shiftablethereon, the second gear coacting with the first gear, and means for shifting the second gear and simultaneously moving the same laterally, for the purpose specified, said means comprising a nut in connection with. the second gear and an eccentricallymounted screw coacting with the nut.

4. The combination of'a driving-gear having a plurality of varying gear-faces, a driven shaft having lateral play, a sleeve splined thereon, a gear attached to the sleeve and coacting with the driving-gear, a nut in which the sleeve is rotatably mounted, and an eccentrically-mounted screw coacting with the nut.

5. The combination of two coacting and relatively shiftable gears, a nut in connection with one of said gears, an eccentricallymounted screw coacting with the nut, substantially as described, and means for operating the screw.

6. The combination with a support, of driving-gearing including a shiftable element for the purpose specified, means for operating said shiftable element, a shaft in connection therewith, the shaft being mounted in a part of the support, a finger-wheel attached to the shaft and capable of locking engagement with a part of the support, and a spring holding the finger-wheel yieldingly in said locking engagement.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARK E. BACON. CHARLES H. BACON.

Witnesses:

F. P. SAYRE, SAMUEL M. BACON. 

